#but this one is just about the jared zoe friendship

[sochilll]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Summary:

After Jared and Evan have a particularly bad fight, Jared ends up in a weird sort of friendship with Zoe Murphy of all people.

[ionizingdotjpeg]

dear evan hansen ship ranking

//NO PUNCTUATION. NOT SPELL CHECKED. SUPER DUMB AND RAMBLY. I AM NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY LAWLZ

PREFACING THIS BY SAYING THAT IM ONLY GNA DO THE 5 MAIN GUYS PPL SHIP. yknow. them. so no miguel sorry i havent read the manga or wtver also im leaving out the icky gross ships ok lets go!!

S

sincerely three: EYUCK!! I HATE THOSE GUYS. GROSS. /a fucking lie. i really like the idea of a stupid love triangle plot but it turns out they actually are gay for eachother and are poly. Also i am a sucker for ships where all the characters are fucking losers. cringefail squad

treebros: idk i think its cute. Maybe gay for forever animatics have rotten my brain but i think they can fix each other and make each other worse simultaneously and i find that so interesting. i dont think they’d be ‘toxic’ but i think they’d be a bit unhealthy. go to THERAPY you WEIRDOS!!! Also autism x autism + bpd realness

klienphy: WORST COUPLE WVER… STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER FREAKS. /positive like I am so insane about them but not like in a literary analysis way in a HOLY SHIT THIS IS SO FUNNY way.

A

kliensen: one of the more interesting ships. if i was looking at these objectively kliensen n bandtrees would be higher because zoe and jared are… actual characters. however, i am not as autistic about these 2 as i am about the S tier shipz.

Evlana?? whatevs: it’s cute. idk what else o say. i wouldn’t say that i ship it but it’s really cute.

Conlana??? Lannor?? what is the ship name: really like em, even though i heavily prefer them platonically i like the idea of connor like.. somewhat tolerating alana and alana wanting to be his friend. something something themes of alienation something.

Specifically Platonic phyklien (my very own name for zoe x jared): SO REAL. i think zoe would find him insufferable but put up with him because they are besties and best friends and they make friendship bracelets and skip down happy trails while the sun is shinibga nd theres rainbows and flowers and

B

bandtrees: cute. i like more it more platonically/evan just admiring zoe but romantic bandtrees is real too

galaxy gals: i think they could be really interesting if people actually like payed attention to them instead of mashing them together because they already paired off all the others.

i am a aro zoe truther so most zoe ships are going to be lower. sorry.

alana jared evan connor polycule (i call this one TCP): ok so i have thought about this ship exactly ONCE and it was for a silly lighthearted au where alana jared and evan try and help connor not be a total asswipe and i thought it was kinda funny so here ya go.

C

all of the ships that i don’t dislike but dont think much about: cool.

D

treebros but specifically the way the wider fandom portrays them… YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THEM LIKE I DO!! i hate them being watered down to the generic bad boy x uwu shy baby I WILL EXPLODE YOU!!!! i also hate hyperprotective connor FUCK YOU!!!!!! DESTROYING YOU WITH MY MIND BEAMS!! I know since conar is fucking dead theres alot of ways to interpret them but this one is the worst.

[whatremained]

exactly! like even if we WANT to see a character as good, we can’t, or were quite literally ignoring the plot of the show!!

for evan, yes, he isn’t an ill-mannered person. he wants to do good for the murphys and make them feel better, but while doing that, he actively lies about a friendship with a person who committed suicide, and this, while allowing the family to rebuild, just likely traumatizes them more.

for connor, yes, he’s very much a victim when it comes to the fact he was put in rehab. rehab is terrible. he’s been through a lot mentally, ever since he was like… young young (book as reference), but none of this excuses the fact that he threatens zoe while he’s alive, and this builds up fear and hatred within her because yes. it is scary when someone is on the other side of the door screaming that they’re going to kill you. even if you know they won’t actually, it’s terrifying. if we ignore this fact, requiem has no meaning behind it and that’s not what the show intends.

for zoe, she’s literally just trying to make it through her family life as well as she can without trying to cause anything. she’s constantly ignored by her own family, and she’s coping with it the best she can. but she’s still flawed. zoe refuses to realize things are more than just bad or good for a long while in the show. i argue not fully until the end of act one. zoe can also come off… rude towards her parents and connor, but then again… she’s sixteen so. do we expect much more? though i will say calling your mentally ill brother a psychopath when… he probably does not have the mental disorder to be considered that kind of term (i’d either argue he has autism or both an anxiety disorder & major depressive disorder [autism is commonly misdiagnosed as that, BUT many people do just have anxiety and depression.] though it’s hard to say because… we barely see him on stage and we don’t see much of his symptoms. in the book, where we hear from him the most, to me at least, as an autistic person, he reads as autistic… but it’s really up for what a person believes). zoe to me comes off as one of the least morally grey characters to me, as she isn’t… actively causing harm in the story. if she’s harming anyone by these thought patterns of good and bad, black and white, she’s harming herself.

alana is very similar to evan in that she comes with good intentions with almost everything she does… maybe not her shoving her way into positions (as we see with the connor project), but a ton of the things she does is for a good cause and though it seems performative, it isn’t. still, alana constantly speaks over people, ignoring them, and publicly posts something she believes to be someone’s suicide note. though she believes the latter is beneficial… it just… wouldn’t be? as we see because with the presumption that it is connor’s note, everyone begins to harass the murphy’s. did evan share it to alana to keep up a lie? yes… but did evan say to publish it…? no. that was a VERY odd choice coming from alana.

jared is a character i… hate. a lot. but you can’t deny that what he really craves is a friendship. we see him distraught after evan ditches him. we see him trying to incorporate himself into the story evan has made up, and it’s likely because he desires a friendship. and to a point, that can make a person sympathetic… still… he helped evan keep up a lie. and was a complete asshole to evan before and after the lie began because…? who knows.

heidi genuinely wants whats best for evan, even if she has to work all day and attend classes and study all night. this is NOT something i will blame her for because… she’s a single mother. it is HARD to live in this economy. she’s trying her best. she also is flawed. she doesn’t REALLY try to reach out to her son (she does say that she shouldn’t have needed evan to tell her he was hurting), she insults evan’s stepmother for…? no reason? also she does tend to come off as rude (in the arena stage 2015 version as well, but…) in good for you and a little before that. blowing up on your son because… he found comfort in other people besides you and getting mad at him because you believed he begged the other family for finical help is… odd! (he didn’t even say anything about it to cynthia and larry, i’m pretty sure…. zoe did. zoe’s the one who wanted heidi over in the first place). i’m not saying heidi is this terrible parent, but she’s not a good mother either. my thing with heidi though… she’s one of the only characters who admits their faults (including evan, somewhat). she IS morally grey, but she is actively working towards being a genuinely good person.

cynthia is also someone who wants to be a good person. she actively tries to treat connor not as terribly as most parents would, and i do applaud her for that. problem is, the way she goes about it is harmful, so much so that (at least in the book) connor basically feels like he’s just a lab rat to the hundreds of different treatments she puts him through… not to mention she ignores zoe and how zoe feels.

and lastly, larry… who i feel gets ignored FAR too often. larry is not this terrible guy. he cares for his children. and he cared son. he did. that’s the WHOLE point of to break in a glove. it shows that he did what he thought was right… but similar to cynthia’s method… it just didn’t work for connor. it traumatized connor MORE. along with the fact that he has the reaction of 75% of parents when their child says that they want to die… the reaction being that the kid just wants attention. also, just… generally… a bit neglectful of both connor and zoe.

all that being said, it pisses me off how a lot of people don’t realize dear evan hansen is NOT supposed to have a good side and a bad side. and a lot of people forget dear evan hansen isn’t.., supposed to be a nice story? it’s supposed to be fucked up. the original idea for it was literally based on a terrible thing.

and there’s this weird section of people who act like the story is unrealistic when it just. isn’t?? the story is based off something similar that happened at pasek’s highschool. and i mean, the same thing happened at MY high school (not when i was there, but when my older brother was there). a student passes away and people pretend to be their friend, and they sell stories and things to get profit out of people’s death. attention and/or money (whether that’s because they’re bad people, or if they feel alone too is up for debate on every person because… we don’t know most of these people personally). and then people forget about the student in a couple weeks. it’s VERY common, and it’s cruel, gross, and terrible. but the story is FAR from unrealistic. though it can be said that dear evan hansen is an exaggeration of such… most stories are.

and though i do argue the marketing for dear evan hansen can be odd at times, the story itself is not meant to be seen as nice. it’s supposed to be cruel.

sorry for the ramble… i just wanted to go into more depth with what the post was saying. :]

[amarantastopics]

Prompt for Dear Evan Hansen visual novel fan-made sequel: Sincerely Me

So Dear Evan Hansen never had a sequel, which disappointed me because of what happened at the end.

So I have an idea for a visual novel sequel called "Sincerely Me" (as the original "Dear Evan Hansen" was the first words of the signature letter, and "Sincerely Me" are the last words).

It takes place after the ending of the musical, & the main plot is you playing as Evan as he go through college trying to make money & decide what he wants in life, while dealing with the tortuous guilt of his actions in the musical & how the world still doesn't know the truth. As he struggles to decides whether or not to finally confess, he tries his best to be a better person & make amends for what he did in every other way he can, in the process building new relationships & friendships as well as trying to mend old ones. But remember, it's a step-by-step process to redemption, ESPECIALLY if it's in regards to the Murphys. You aren't allowed to rush things with them, for obvious reasons. If you stick your nose in someone's business where it's not wanted or needed, no matter how good your intentions are, you will lose points.

One of the choices you can make is whether or not you admit your lies to the world or keep it a secret as the Murphys planned. I won't spoil how it either choice goes.

If you've played the Persona games, you'll know of Social Links & Confidants. It's where you do certain things to unlock (sometimes optional) interactive side-quests with certain characters & go up by rank until you reach Rank 10. You achieve a certain relationship with said character based on your choices, your rank in different virtues (such as courage or knowledge), & if you've reached Rank 9/Rank 10 or not. For Evan, these characters include canon ones (Heidi, Zoe, Cynthia, Larry, Jared, & Alana) as well as OCs. This includes the option to romance certain characters (most of the options are OCs; the only canon options are Zoe & Jared, & Jared is not the only gay option). Depending on your Social Link rank, the choices you've made, & your rank in values, you can pick choices as different characters. When you get to Rank 9 or 10, you have certain options to decide how the character feels about Evan depending on your previous choices & how high your values are (ex. honesty, kindness, courage, etc.).

If it's a romance option, you decide if they're in love with Evan or just see them as a friend, then you choose as Evan if you reciprocate or not. If the character is not a romance option, you decide how the character feels about Evan & where their relationship/friendship is, & then how Evan feels.

I should talk about Zoe because I want to make it clear that she's THE most difficult friendship & romance to achieve, unsurprisingly (besides Cynthia & Larry, but I shouldn't need to point out that they're not romance options). But it's clear as day that Evan is not doing these things to get her back, or else that would be EXTREMELY shitty & go against the whole point of the visual novel. When you unlock a certain rank with Zoe & you've achieved enough points through good enough choices, Evan will ask Zoe if he can set her up with someone else because he tells her he wants her to be happy, & he confirms he honestly wants this in his own thoughts.

You have to have an 100% right-choice play-through, max out your values, & get to Rank 9 or 10 before you even unlock the OPTION for Zoe to decide if she's still in love with Evan or not. If you don't do these, Zoe will only see Evan as a friend a at BEST. Even then, you can mess it all up:

If you have Zoe confess to still being in love with Evan, & you decide that Evan is still in love with her as well (only if he's single, of course, because he's no cheater), but decide to lie that you're not in love with her anymore because you don't want her protesting your claims you don't deserve her, she'll IMMEDIATELY see through it & end everything with you for good - because you lied to her again, & thus you learned nothing. If you decide she's still in love with Evan when he's with someone else (for angst, I guess - again, it's all up to you), & Evan lies that he doesn't deserve her instead of just telling her the truth that he's not in love with her anymore, it'll be the same outcome - your relationship is ruined permanently.

Then there's Jared. Depending on what you do, when you get to Rank 9 or 10, you can decide if Jared is in love with Evan or just sees him as a friend (rather than "family friend"), & then you pick as Evan if he reciprocates or not.

Or of course you can easily just have Evan stay single. Romancing a character is absolutely not necessary to get the golden ending (ESPECIALLY in regards to Zoe), or else it would spit in the face of the message.

I'm not sure yet if I can make this reality myself can because I don't have the best drawing/animation skills & I'm struggling to figure out how to use RenPy. So anyone can take the idea upon for themselves & bring it to life if they wish.

Feel free to ask me any questions if you have any!

[daydreamhowell]

okay so I'm seeing a lot of people going "I always thought DEH was horrible bc Evan says he knows Connor to get with Connor's sister" etc. etc. without actually knowing the details of how it happens in the musical

disclaimer: I don't actually like the musical that much, I like some of the music but I agree that it gets really repetitive. also, I really only like the music in act 1 (with a couple of exceptions), so I'm really comfortable with the plot at the beginning, but once it gets to the Connor Project, I really only vaguely know what happens. also, like most people, I haven't seen the movie

OKAY let's start with Evan and Connor meeting. contrary to many posts that I've seen, they DID meet each other. Evan goes to the computer lab one day before school to print out a letter to himself - his therapist makes him write these letters, "Dear Evan Hansen, Today's a good day, and here's why....." So as he's printing this out, Connor comes into the computer lab, looking kind of intimidating, but generally being nice to Evan, asking him about his cast, how he broke his arm, whatever. Since no one has signed Evan's cast because he has no friends, Connor signs it in big letters to fill the whole thing up, which is really sweet! it's a nice moment. and then Connor sees Evan's letter to himself, sees that it mentions Connor's sister Zoe because Evan has a crush on her, and Connor gets understandably pissed off. he takes the letter and storms out. for Evan, this is the end of the interaction. it was weird and awkward, but it's done, and his only worry is that Connor might find him and like beat him up over it or something.

when Connor kills himself, his parents find the Dear Evan Hansen letter in Connor's pocket, and they assume it's a letter written by Connor to his secret best friend Evan Hansen. they're overjoyed in the greatest capacity they can be having lost their son, because at least their loner son had a friend, someone to help him through it all, even if he didn't make it through. Connor's parents feel somewhat culpable for Connor's death because they really didn't give him the support he needed, so the idea of Connor having had someone to support him takes a load off of the parents and makes them feel less guilty.

the following day at school, Evan is called into the principal's office. when he gets there, Connor's parents and sister are all there (he probably doesn't even know who Connor's parents are when he first sees them, but he definitely knows Zoe), and they tell Evan that Connor killed himself. and Evan is understandably confused because that shouldn't have anything to do with him. and then they show him the letter and make it clear that they think Evan and Connor were friends, which is corroborated by Connor having signed Evan's cast, and they effectively thank Evan for having been there for their son. and Evan goes along with it, both because of his anxiety and because it would be super awkward for anybody to go "sorry, your son actually didn't have any friends, I met him for the first time yesterday when he signed my cast and then was a dick to me and ran off." the idea of Evan being Connor's friend is clearly providing a lot of comfort to Connor's parents, so Even lets them think that they were friends because that's an action that seems totally harmless.

and then Connor's parents want Evan to be part of their lives, almost as a way for Connor to live on with them, and they start asking Evan all kinds of questions about their friendship. and that's where Evan starts to lie. ultimately, he's still trying to comfort the family by creating stories where Connor was kind and had fun and was trying to get better. in the process, he ends up almost gaslighting Zoe into doubting the existence of the emotional abuse she endured at the hands of her brother, but even for her, Evan is trying to provide an alternate history where Connor actually liked her. it's worth noting that Evan is also trying to sell the lie to himself because it would've been nice to have had a friend. Connor and Evan initially got along when they met, they're both in dire need of a friend, they both struggle with mental illness, and their families mirror each other in the show. if things had gone differently, I really believe that they could've been friends. and this possibility is so appealing to Evan, especially in the song "For Forever," where Evan rewrites the story of his suicide attempt to be a day out with Connor where Connor comes to help him after Evan falls from a tree.

is it shitty that Evan uses this opportunity to get with Zoe? absolutely. was lying at all not the best move? totally, but also he's a teenager who struggles interacting with people, so I don't blame him so much for getting himself in this mess. I never felt like Evan was really at fault for starting the lies, especially since it was such a great source of comfort for everyone involved, and since Connor's parents pretty much just pushed their assumptions on him. he's definitely a morally grey character, even more so as the plot goes on, but I don't think his actions become truly shitty until he starts getting some personal gain with it i.e. the resources of a more affluent family, dating Zoe, the celebrity of starting the Connor Project, etc.

also, I've seen the argument that audiences thought Evan was totally excused from his actions because of his anxiety. this was 2017, peak "uwu smol bean" era, so people online definitely felt that way, but I think critical reception (and like, normal reception by adults) of the musical was more nuanced. pretty much all musical theatre fandom at the time relied on super reductive, black-and-white thinking to categorize characters, so it's no surprise that a show with a more-than-typically morally gray main character would be super distorted by fandom. I've also seen complaints about people shipping Evan with Connor, which, yeah, that was pretty fucked up. since we really only get to see Connor through Evan's romanticized made-up stories about him, it's easy to read a romantic interest into it, especially when "Sincerely, Me" does make gay jokes about them, and also I heard that a lot of people thought the song "For Forever" was a gay love story without the context of the musical. food for thought. anyway it's not a particularly shippable musical in the first place, so pretty much the only other ships were Evan with side character Jared and Zoe with side character Alana. I can understand people gravitating towards the ship of two main characters, even if they didn't actually know each other and it's kinda fucked up

[chincilla-on-the-moon]

“I like you too idiot.”- Connor Murphy X Reader

Request: can u do a connor x reader where reader is being pretty annoyed with Jared on the first day (like when he calls him a school shooter) and he steps in and defends her leading timo a nice friendship and a love confession from Connor at the end? I’m sending love, and if u can’t it is really ok, everyone’s mental health is important, pls don’t feel overwhelmed 💕✨🦋- Anon 

Word Count: 2,542

Warnings: A couple swears and Jared Klienman being a dick. (also Connor is probs written ooc but whatever)

Authors note: Hi everyone! First of all I just want to say thank you to everyone who requested something! I am trying to work on them but I recently fell into a really bad place mentally but I’m working on making it better. I hope to have the other requests out soon but please be patient with me. Also anon I used they/them pronouns for the reader as those are my pronouns and I want to make sure everyone can I enjoy my writing regardless of gender so I hope that okay.  As always thank you for reading and I hope you have a good day/night! :) <3 (Also any feedback is very appreciated. )

First day of senior year. To say you weren’t excited would be the understatement of the century. Sure you were excited to finally get out of your hometown but you had to get through the school year first and if the previous years were any indication of how this year was going to go, well lets just say it's going to be a long year. 

You pulled into the student parking lot in your shitty car and saw there were a couple extra minutes before you actually had to be in the building, With that in mind you decided to just put your head down  on the steering wheel for a few minutes to prepare yourself for the day ahead. 

That peace was short lived though because not even  30 seconds later did a dark truck pulled up next to you. Before the car could even come to a stop Zoe Murphy flew out of the passenger seat. She flipped off the driver, who you presumed was her brother Connor, and slammed the door before storming off into the school. “Jesus” you mutter  to yourself. Then another door slammed and Connor Murphy appeared in front of the truck, talking and gesturing wildly to himself. You could only make out bits and pieces of what the boy was saying before he went into the school like his sister. You heard him say something about his mom and his bitch sister and not even wanting to be there. Well at least you weren't alone in the feeling. Following the Murphy siblings you begrudgingly went into the building. The friendly secretary greated you and handed you your schedule which had your locker number on it. After searching for a few minutes you found it and just as you were starting to put things in your locker  you heard his voice, Jared Klienman. He was talking to Evan Hansen and you prayed to whatever higher being that could hear you that he would leave you alone. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. 

“Well, well, well if it isn’t L/N.” You could practically hear the shit-eating grin he had on his stupid face. You were about to turn around and tell him to go away but before you could someone comes between the two of you blocking Jared from your view. 

“Fuck off Klienman” says the last person you expected, Connor Murphy. 

“Woah calm down Murphy, I’m just trying to have a conversation with Y/N here” Jared says starting to back up and putting his arms up as a way of showing his surrender.

“Well they obviously don’t want to talk to you. Now get out of here before I punch that stupid smirk off your dumb face,” Connor says squaring off his shoulders in an attempt to look even more intimidating than usual. It worked quite well because Jared was practically running off but not before making a dig at Connor.

“Yeah whatever you fucking freak.”

You saw Connor’s shoulders tense and his hands clenched into fists. You didn’t know what to do but figured it would be best to leave the boy alone, so you just fidgeted with your hands. He took a deep breath then turned to face you. 

“Uhm thanks for that. You really didn’t have to,” you say avoiding eye contact with him, which was quite easy considering how tall he was compared to you. 

“No problem, I know how much of a dick Klienman can be.” 

“Yeah he’s the worst,” you say scoffing lightly. Then the bell signaling you were supposed to be in homeroom rang.“See you around Connor. Thanks again,” you say before turning to shut your locker and rush to class. 

“Yeah see you around,” Connor says to no one because you were already down the hall.

The rest of the day wasn’t much better, nothing happened in particular but it just still wasn’t the best. After what felt like an eternity it was finally the last bell of the day, creative writing. You weren’t particularly interested in writing but you had a bell to fill so you figured why not. When you walked in you did a scan of the room and saw Connor, he had an empty seat next to him at the back of the room so you decided to sit it in. “Hey,” you say, startling the boy who was previously staring into space. 

“Oh hey.”

“Thanks again for this morning, I really appreciate it dude,” you say making eye contact with Connor so he would know you actually meant what you were saying.

“Oh yeah, it was nothing. Don’t worry about it,” he says, giving you a small smile. You smiled back just as your teacher walked in which caused the conversation to end. 

“Good afternoon class! I hope all of your days have been tolerable,” says your teacher Mr. Davidson. He was a younger man in his early 30’s which meant everyone liked him including you.  “Instead of doing an ice breaker where you all lie about how interesting your summers were I want you to get to actually get to know someone in this class a little better,” he says from behind his podium at the front of the class. You were starting to panic a little, who were you going to partner up with? None of your kind of friends were in this class!  Then Connor cleared his throat grabbing your attention.

“Hey Y/N, wanna be partners?” The nervous energy was practically radiating off the boy. You breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sure Connor.” The two of you then got up and turned your desks to face each other like the other pairs were doing. “So Murphy what’s your deepest darkest secret?” you say, smirking.

“Woah L/N, not even going to ask me my favorite color or anything?” he says chuckling.

“Okay, okay, fine,” you say playfully rolling your eyes. “What’s your favorite color Connor?” 

“Dark green. What about you L/N? What's your favorite color?”

“Y/F/C,” you say. “It’s been my favorite since I was younger,” you say shrugging.

“I respect that. It’s a good color.” 

“Yeah whatever, now can I hear your deepest secret?”, you say almost like a child.

“Wow you’re still on this?”, he says with amusement evident in his tone. 

“Yeah I am!” you say in a mock seriousness. “Mr. Davidson says we are supposed to actually get to know each other and that’s what I’m trying to do Murphy!” 

“You’re absolutely right Y/N,” he says suddenly very serious.

“Okay fine I’ll tell you but you have to swear you won’t tell anyone. 

“Not a soul,” you say staring at him intently and sitting at the edge of your seat. 

“Well, here goes nothing.” He made eye contact and it felt as if he was staring into your soul. “I’m pregnant.”

You maintained eye contact until you actually processed what he said, then the two of you started laughing which caused the rest of the class to turn and look at you but for once you didn’t even care because you were actually happy for the first time in what felt like forever. 

The rest of the class went by faster than you or Connor wanted it to, but the two of you walked out to the student parking lot together and paused when you reached your cars. “Uh see you tomorrow I guess,” you say but it comes out as more of a question. 

“Yeah see you tomorrow Y/N”, Connor says very confidently which surprised you both. You waved as a final goodbye and got into your cars. As you were driving home you thought about all the awful things you heard about Connor in the past and how untrue they were. Sure he was intimidating at first glance but he’s six feet tall for goodness sake who wouldn’t be intimidated by that. You could tell from the short  class period you spent getting to know him that he was simply misunderstood.  Suddenly you were glad you never listened to what all the popular kids said about Connor. 

As the school year went on you and Connor developed a sort of unspoken ritual, you would wait for Connor to get to school then you two would walk to homeroom together and then walk to your cars when the school day was over. The two of you became good friends and you found yourself actually looking forward to waking up in the morning so you could see him. The pair of you  had hung out outside of school a few times and you had actually met Connor’s mom, granted it was an accident but it still happened. 

You and Connor decided to hang out at his house because his family wasn’t home that afternoon, the two of you were lounging on the couch watching some weird movie when you heard the front door open. “Connor dear? Is that you in there?” Suddenly an middle aged woman with red hair appeared with reusable grocery bags in her hands. 

“Mom?!” Connor jumped up from the couch in a panic. “I thought you had yoga today?!”

“Class was canceled because Cindy wasn’t feeling well. Oh I stopped by the store and  got those  snacks you asked for!” she said coming into the living room box in hand. “Oh? Connor, who's your friend?” she said with a small smile appearing on her lips. 

“Hi Mrs. Murphy. I’m Y/N,” you said nervously. 

“Oh call me Cynthia dear,” she said, shooting you a smile. 

After that Cynthia invited you to stay for dinner but you already had plans with your parents that night. She invited you a couple times after that as well. You never actually went cause Connor didn’t want you to but still it was nice to know she liked you enough to invite you to dinner. 

As fall came to a close the two of you  became attached at the hip, constantly talking to one another whether it was in person or through the phone. Once the holiday season rolled around you guys got each other gifts. You got Connor a signed book from his favorite author and he got you a vinyl you had been wanting for a while.

 Once the holiday break was over the end of the first semester came quickly and you couldn’t wait to finally be done with your half year courses and start the new ones. Unfortunately you had to take finals before you could be done. Although you only had two finals you were still extremely stressed out. Sure they were easy classes but the teachers were notorious for giving impossible finals. You spent the few days before the finals studying whenever there was a free moment. Connor knew you were stressed so he helped you the best he could. He offered to have study sessions even though none of his classes had finals, he went over quizlets on video calls, and he even brought you a drink with way too much caffeine on the mornings he knew you didn’t sleep. 

Once the day arrived he texted you good luck. You went into the first test and totally nailed it. Before the next testing time there was a break and when you checked your phone you saw Connor had texted you telling you how proud he was of you for studying so hard and reassuring you that you had these exams in the bag. You sent him a quick “thank you :))” and went into the testing room for the second time. This exam was a little harder than the last but you still thought you did decent. There were a couple times where Connor and his stupid mneumonic devices actually came in handy. Letting out a giant breath of relief as you stepped out of the testing room you couldn’t wait to tell Connor about how much he helped. When you reached your locker and got your phone out of it you saw Connor had asked if you wanted to hang out when you were done. Obviously you said yes and told him to pick you up at your house in 15. You drove home and changed out of your testing outfit which was just sweatpants and a hoodie and put on something a little more presentable. Sure you were just going to hang out with your best friend but he also is the boy you’ve been pining over for months. You’ve always found Connor attractive and when he put dickhead Klienman in his place that made him all the more hot. But then you really got to know him and you fell. Hard.  He was sweet, caring, smart, and funny. Sure he had his moments but so did everyone on the planet. He had actually opened up to you about his struggles with his mental health and you did everything you could to support him. You encouraged him to ask his parents for therapy, and always made sure he took his meds in the morning. You were there for him and he was always there for you.  

You were pulled out of your thoughts when you heard the horn of Connor’s truck outside your house. You rushed outside and got into the passenger seat, “So where to Murphy?”

“I was thinking we could get some food and just chill in a parking lot somewhere. Sound cool?”

“Definitely. I’ve missed hanging out with you. Stupid finals,” you say with a dramatic eye roll. 

“Yeah I’ve missed hanging out with you too dork,” he says reaching over the center console and ruffling your hair. 

“Connor Murphy! I just brushed my hair and here you go messing it up!” you say while trying to fix your now disbelieved hair. 

“Whatever L/N. It still looks fine to me.”  Although it was barely a compliment, heat still rushed to your cheeks. He pulled out of your driveway and the two of you were off. On the way to get food you guys caught up talking about everything you missed in the world of Connor because you were too focused on finals. He told you he finished a TV show you recommend and loved it.  You made it to the drive through and Connor ordered, already knowing what you wanted from your many midnight outings. Once you got your food you made your way to the plaza parking lot where the restaurant was located. For the first couple minutes the two of you sat in a comfortable silence listening to the playlist Connor had made for this type of occasion. After a few minutes Connor suddenly spoke, “Can I tell you something?”

“Connor dearest you know you can tell me anything,” you say with a french fry in your mouth, not even bothering to look at him. 

“I like you.” You choked on the fry you had in your mouth. 

“Pardon?” you say through a cough. 

“I said I like you,” he says, a little less sure of himself. When you looked over at Connor you saw he was staring straight ahead. 

“Hey Connor.” 

“Mhm,” he says, not daring to move. 

“Look at me.” He just barely turned his head towards you. “I like you too idiot.”

[lestatslestits]

Dear Evan Hansen info dump! Dear Evan Hansen info dump! Pls I saw it in London and fucking despised that show

OKAY sorry this took a while I got tied up at work.

For those unfamiliar, here’s a very basic rundown of the plot as I remember it because I refuse to revisit it.

Content warning for. So many things. Suicide, mental illness, lying, gaslighting, and like. Just a weird song about siblings. I dunno.

So basically there’s this kid named Evan Hansen who has social anxiety and probably depression, and he sees a therapist, who has told him to write letters to himself as an assignment. It’s the first day of school after summer break and his arm is in a cast because he broke it climbing a tree. This is our “hero.”

He’s got a crush on a girl named Zoe (Zoey?), who he desperately wants to notice him but he’s awkward and shy and has a song about it. Zoe’s older brother, Connor, is what happens when 45 year old theatre producers google what a depressed teenager looks like. I think he may actually be described in canon as looking like a school shooter? Even if I’m wrong about that, it’s clearly the intended vibe.

So Evan goes to school with his letter, meets Connor there (who he does not know at all, and that is extremely important), and Connor asks to sign his cast. He does it HUGE letters so it’s impossible to miss, but while this interaction goes down he finds Evan’s letter, which talks about how he has put all of his hope into his relationship with Connor’s sister, Zoe. It’s worded weirdly ambiguously because it’s a surprise tool that will help us later. Anyways, Connor freaks out at the idea of Evan writing about his sister, and he takes the letter.

Later Evan gets called into the office to speak to Connor’s parents, because Connor has committed suicide. And on his person is a letter that begins “Dear Evan Hansen.”

So now everyone is convinced he was Connor’s only friend, and that this was Connor’s suicide note. Connor’s family starts asking Evan questions about Connor and instead of explaining the mixup, Evan just ???? Goes with it???????????? He makes up a WHOLE ASS BACKSTORY about his deep friendship with Connor, writes additional Dear Evan Hansen letters, and develops a relationship with Connor’s grieving family.

A person at school (in the musical the character is a girl but in the movie I think the actor is non-binary and I dunno if the character will be or not) sets up a memorial for Connor and asks Evan to speak. He does, someone posts his speech on youtube, and he goes mega viral for talking about the impact Connor had on him. Suddenly a whole campaign starts, around the phrase “You will be found.”

Evan gets super famous, but his mom and his friend uhhh Jared I think is his name have gotten wise and shit is falling apart.

Okay I did have to google a bit for the ending because I blocked it out.

Ultimately Evan confessed what he did to Connor’s family, because the “suicide note” got leaked online and now people blame Connor’s parents. So he comes clean in a way that is like “I’m so sorry, but please consider that I was sad.”

And they’re mad but they don’t pursue it at all or tell anyone about all of his lies because ???? What are consequences???

Evan’s mom finds out that his fall that led to a broken arm was actually a suicide attempt, so she feels guilty and sad for??? Being a single mom and having to work?????

A year later Evan meets up with Zoe who says that actually everything Evan did was okay because it brought her family closer together, and actually thru needed this.

Evan has no consequences, other than feeling kind of guilty, and the show ends with him writing another letter to himself.

So like.

Where do I start? The weird infantilizing bullshit of a sad white boy receiving no consequences for his actions?

The fact that all of the work on “The Connor Project” is done by the show’s one (1) character who is regularly cast as a person of color, who receives no appreciation?

The fact that, oh yeah, it turns out that Connor was emotionally abusing his sister for years, to the point where she has a whole song about how she doesn’t know how to mourn for someone who has caused her so much pain. Evan, aware of this, uses his own ROMANTIC FEELINGS FOR ZOE to come up with a lot of stuff to “prove” that Connor actually cared about her, making her believe that her dead brother who tormented her actually gave a shit, because it helped Evan get a girlfriend. This plot point literally FLABBERGASTS me because I never see anyone talk about it. Also I’m pretty sure the tie-in book tried to retcon this and make it an unreliable narrator thing and in general to make Connor more sympathetic by making him queer???, but it’s never addressed in the musical, so it’s not really possible to consider that canon.

Also Evan sings a song, allegedly from Connor’s perspective, about all the things he (a character who is romantically interested in her) thinks about her....using her dead brother as a mouthpiece???

The fact that Broadway started a whole #youwillbefound movement. That’s right. They started a suicide awareness campaign based off of a COMPLETELY CANONICALLY FAKE CAMPAIGN and people took it seriously, like people who sing The Last Five Years at their weddingsxhhkkgukj

Uhh the fact that the fandom woobifies both Evan and Connor and SHIPS THEM together even though they do not know each other, which is literally the point of the story 🤪🤪🤪

I could go on but damn I’m pissing myself off.

WAIT I forgot to add that @wolfsbaneblooming said she thought the movie trailer was an SNL sketch and she’s RIGHT

Uhh tagging @theclichefortunecookie because I promised an infodump

[antpelts]

For the ask thing! From this dream isn’t feeling sweet (etc)

“Evan wasn’t even sure where their conversation was going anymore - it had been a while since they had any sort of genuine conversation with regards to, like, feelings. At least on Jared’s end. Sometimes Evan couldn’t get his mouth to shut but Jared tended to pull back, so seeing him laid out on his back, blinking up at him just sort of left Evan baffled.

Not as baffled as when Jared mustered up a response, though,

“I.. yeah. I mean, yeah.” He broke eye contact before Evan that time, casting his gaze across the room to a poster on his wall. “I guess you’d know better than me, dude.”

Evan wasn’t entirely sure he could say that much - actually, he was just sort of proving to himself that he had no clue how to pick apart his own feelings and understand them.”

No idea how many words that is but I love this moment! The introspection from Evan about both himself and Jared. please hit me with the commentary!!

send an exerpt from a fic of mine and ill give a commentary!

yes.. yes.. this scene. dropping the (obvious) hints of jared deflecting he Does know all about having a crush.. plus getting into my reasoning of why evan doesnt actually like zoe.. like with my sorta canon compliant stuff its like.. i gotta explain that or it feels jarring when he doesnt like her anymore. this also is one of my oldest headcanons at work in there which is evan being gay and having a comphet crush on zoe (tho i love bi evan too<3) and just.. the whole like.. evan assuming this conversation will halt because him and jared dont talk about feeeelings however.. this obviously being a turning point in fixing their friendship where jared WANTS to talk about feelings with him!! hes just woefully unequipped yknow!! just something about evan always talking so much because he cant help it and jared shutting him out.. until he doesnt! hes trying!!!!! and evan wants this so bad hes sorta got no idea how to handle it and ends up feeling more lost than ever because now jared Is trying to be his friend.. but he doesnt know how to handle it!!!!!!

[nothingunrealistic]

85, kleinsen

85. “Don’t lie to me.”

Six minutes before the start of fifth period, Evan comes out of nowhere to block Jared’s path to the cafeteria doors. “I have to talk to you.”

Breaking news: water is wet, Luxembourg is landlocked, and Jared is needed to clean up yet another of Evan’s messes. “Make it quick.”

Evan looks around the cafeteria. “Uh, outside?”

“Sure, whatever.”

Evan pushes through one of the double doors, and Jared follows him, to the inexplicable destination of the dusty vending machine that sits in a nook in the hallway fifteen yards away. Jared’s only seen about three students buying snacks here in as many years — it’s mostly a rendezvous point for couples sucking face between bells like one of them’s about to head off to war instead of a different algebra class.

“Alana called me, yesterday. She said you’ve been telling everyone that Connor and I were friends.”

Ah. He should have known Alana would find out, but he didn’t really think she and Evan had spoken, ever. “That’s ridiculous. There’s eleven hundred people in this school, you really think I had time to tell all of them about your dearly deceased best friend? I have homework.”

“But you did tell some people?”

“Hardly any. Two or three, tops.” Connor is a hot conversational topic right now even in rooms Evan’s not in, and if Jared just happens to overhear a few classmates in AP Calc or Model UN practice or a MasterMinds meet commiserating about Connor’s tragic demise, is it really so unreasonable for him to toss in Evan’s name?

Evan pinches the bridge of his nose like he’s trying to prevent his head from exploding. “Why would you do that?”

“To help you out, bro.” That’s practically his full-time job now.

“The whole point is that it was secret, people aren’t supposed to know —”

The end-of-lunch bell rings, and the cafeteria doors clang against the walls, shoved open by impatient students pouring into the hall. Four minutes until fifth period. Jared shuffles a little closer to the vending machine to avoid getting run over.

“No one’s supposed to know,” Evan repeats, after several seconds of seemingly trying to choose between speaking louder so Jared can hear him and speaking quieter so no one else can hear him.

“No one was supposed to know,” Jared corrects. “But if you’re telling the Murphys all about your super special friendship and no one else, it’s going to look like you’re just trying to lead them on, because you are.”

“That’s not what it is. I’m doing this to help them. That’s all.”

“I know it’s your new hobby, but don’t lie to me. You’re not just doing this out of the goodness of your heart.”

“What, and you are?” Evan says, and that sets off alarm bells in Jared’s head. Deescalate, redirect, get a soda from the vending machine and shake it up and throw it into the hallway to cause chaos — anything to avoid the endpoint of that conversation.

“Think about it,” Jared says, keeping his own voice low. “Everyone’s talking about Connor already. If Zoe brings up that you’re claiming you were his best friend, what would you want her to hear? ‘Oh, yeah, I heard about that, it makes sense’? Or ‘what the fuck are you talking about?’”

Evan nods, opens his mouth as if to say that Jared’s actually completely right and deserves a prize for his efforts, then looks over Jared’s shoulder, frowning. Jared, of course, looks too.

The crowd is thinning, and among the students taking their time to get to class is Matt Holtzer, carrying a stack of folded T-shirts, who nods at Jared as he passes. Jared returns the nod. The funny thing about spreading the news of that super special friendship between Connor and Evan — Jared’s name ends up being tagged onto the story, and people remember. Even Sabrina Patel, who’s been spending every free period this week hawking rubber bracelets with Connor’s initials printed on them, stopped to ask Jared if she should order a new set that included Evan’s initials. (Jared had said no, of course, before excusing himself to hide out in the bathroom and laugh so hard he cried.) Hardly a surprise that Alana traced it back to him.

Matt disappears around a corner, and Evan remembers how to talk again. “There’s something else. Last night I went to the Murphys’ house —”

Nope. Absolutely not. No fucking way is Jared going to be late to class because Evan had to unpack every single time Zoe looked at him across the Murphys’ dinner table and didn’t gag at the sight of him. “And you can tell me all about that later when I don’t have places to be. Call me after school.”

“I will.”

[spastuetheobsessedphylosopher]

Hear me out

We all know about the fake-dating trope, right? But listen

Have this DEH AU where Connor lives through his overdose, yeah? And his family is convinced he and Evan are friends and 'fuck now i have to fake being friends with the cute idiot weirdo'

FAKE-FRIENDSHIP AU

Connor is Not Happy, because this asshole was making fun of him with the stupid letter just a few days ago, but listen. His family isn’t leaving him alone with the matter and hey,

hey,

he’s tired of his family looming over him and ‘caring’ about him. And the kid is lonely af, right? It won’t hurt him to hang out with Connor, specially since he has that stupid crush on his sister and he’s desperate enough to spend some time with Connor in order to see her.

(And okay, listen, Connor isn’t a bad person, okay? Yeah he’s done bad shit, made bad choices. He knows, don’t rub it in his face, but it’s not like the rest of his family are little lambs. They’re all to blame, right? Right!?)

(And yeah, Connor wants to do better, okay? He’s scared he can’t. But this Evan kid, surely he must know about being better, right? I mean look at him, he couldn’t kill a fly)

And so Connor hangs out with Evan and brings him home and they lie through their teeth about their supposed amazing relationship, and really, what is it with this guy and trees?

And he tells Miguel about him cause of course he does. I mean, have you seen that dweeb? He’s insufferable and Connor needs someone to rant to about the kid’s obsessions and quirks and cute face

But then Evan approaches him one day after school while Connor is having a not so awesome time. And Connor doesn’t answer so Evan just starts rambling about trees and his summer job and how he fell off the tree but he didn’t actually fall and-

Holy shit. This kid is not at all what Connor thought he was.

So they talk. About their families. About their therapist sessions. About how people just don’t understand.

And Evan tells him about Jared and Connor talks about Miguel. Evan calls Connor lucky for having a real friend like Miguel and Connor says Evan has him and okay,

Connor didn’t know blushing this hard was possible what the hell.

So they hang out. For real, this time. And Evan shows him the tallest trees and Connor takes him to Á La Mode and they’re happy.

Okay. That’s new.

And Evan’s been in denial all the time, repeating to himself ‘it’s because of Zoe’ but the thing is he hasn’t though of Zoe for weeks, and then he actually gets mad at her when she tells Connor his and Evan’s friendship is a lie, she knows, so stop lying to her!

So yeah, okay, maybe he doesn’t do it for Zoe. Maybe Evan actually has fun when they go out for ice cream, and Connor has some chocolate on his nose, and that’s adorable-

Oh. Oh.

Evan’s gay.

Evan’s very very gay.

And what the hell is he supposed to do with that?

So Evan tells Jared, who laughs in his face and repeats ‘I told you so’ on and on till Evan hangs up.

But Jared had said Connor ‘has the hots for you too, he looks at you like you’re a piece of meat’ and, hey, Jared is blunt, but he’s not a liar, right?

(Evan wonders why his heart chose to pin over the Murphy’s)

So Evan decides he’ll tell Connor.

And they start dating, right?

Wrong, cause this is Evan we’re talking.

And Connor only tried to kill himself a month ago, he’s still in process of recovery and Evan can’t just dump that on him!

So Evan can’t tell him. Of course he can’t. He can’t afford to scare one of his only two friends away.

So he’ll keep it to himself. For Connor.

And so of course this is a slow burn.

Both gays are idiots and Connor is still pinning over Miguel, right? Of course he is. This is Miguel. He wants him. No one else. Nope, no siree.

But Miguel opens his eyes and now Connor doesn't know what to do cause Evan is clearly straight af and in love with his sister right? I mean that's why he’s so weird about going to Connor's house right? And Oh My God Evan is suddenly awkward around him he totally knows and hates him right?

So Connor can’t tell him. Of course he can’t. He can’t afford to scare one of his only two friends away.

So he’ll keep it in his pants. For Evan.

[aion-rsa]

How Dear Evan Hansen Changes the Musical’s Ending

https://ift.tt/2XGJPiD

This article contains Dear Evan Hansen spoilers, both for the movie and the stage show.

No matter how you come to the story of Dear Evan Hansen, and regardless of the medium, things always have to end at the same apple orchard. It’s fitting since Evan’s first major lie about Connor Murphy, the boy who killed himself, was that they spent whole days in the then-abandoned orchard, talking about girls, boats, and whatever other fantasies Evan could concoct. And it’s here that Zoe Murphy, Connor’s younger sister, requests Evan meet her for the story’s final scene.

This is true of the stage show, which took Broadway by storm five years ago—winning six Tonys including for Best Musical and Best Actor for Ben Platt—and it’s the same for the movie, with Platt’s Evan coming to a now renewed orchard and sitting with the cinematic Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever). Among the trees, Evan can see at least one good thing that came out of his lies: The Connor Murphy Project reopened this small slice of paradise.

Yet how Dear Evan Hansen gets to that moment in the movie is drastically different from the stage musical. Then again, so is the world in the five years since the musical’s Broadway debut (and six since it was first performed in Washington D.C.). Hence why director Stephen Chbosky and screenwriter Steven Levenson, who adapted his own book from the stage, have attempted to adjust to our current social climate. The new ending addresses the harshest criticisms about the Evan Hansen character, and the values his tale might promote. This is, after all, a musical about a troubled young man who exploits the suicide of a stranger in his school to increase his popularity and to insinuate himself into the dead boy’s family.

But is the new ending an actual improvement? Well…

How Dear Evan Hansen Ends on Stage

The entire narrative of Dear Evan Hansen pivots on a misunderstanding between Evan and the Murphy family as the latter grieve over the suicide of Connor. When Connor’s parents, Cynthia and Larry, first misconstrue Evan’s letter to himself as their son’s suicide note, Evan attempts to correct them. However, they seem so heartbroken, and Evan is so desperate to please and be accepted—by anyone—he quickly goes along with it and begins spinning tales about his and Connor’s intimate friendship.

The musical is thus a rising crescendo that builds as Evan climbs higher and higher off his mistruths. So the inevitable moment where his house of cards comes crashing down is the narrative’s real climax. And yet, in the original version of Dear Evan Hansen, the story more or less ends right there. After Evan confesses in the song “Words Fail” that he lied about the letter and his entire friendship with Connor, the horrified Murphys walk away from him one by one, with various degrees of disgust. He then comes clean to his mother in the final big song of the show, “So Big / So Small,” where she comforts her son. She’ll never walk away.

The musical then quickly jumps one year into the future, with Evan revealed to be working part-time and attending community college, hoping to save up enough money to someday attend a university. Zoe, who’s now a senior in high school, invites Evan to the orchard where he thanks her family for never revealing his secret to the public—never telling the world he lied about Connor. And, rather incredulously, Zoe absolves Evan and the audience of any guilt. She says, “Everybody needed [the lie] for something.” She even goes so far to say it “saved my parents.” It brought her family closer together.

So while it’s still bittersweet since Evan’s relationship with the Murphys, including Zoe, is forever severed, there are still no real consequences for Evan other than Cynthia and Larry won’t pay for his college education. Even his guilt is assuaged, and he can brag to Zoe that he’s been reading the 10 books Connor said were his favorites in eighth grade. The show more or less ends in a figurative group hug by omitting through a time jump all of the messy fallout from his choices.

How Dear Evan Hansen the Movie Ends

In the film, “Words Fail” is still the climax of the story, with Evan confessing his sins and Zoe walking away. However, in one telling addition, Cynthia (played with delicate fragility by Amy Adams) is barely able to whisper, “I think it’s time for you to leave” while holding back tears. Since she was Evan’s biggest champion, that she is now the one who states explicitly he is disinvited from their home hits hardest.

Then after Evan’s heart-to-heart with his mother (Julianne Moore), we actually see Evan attempt to make amends for his misdeeds. For starters, the whole reason the truth finally came out in both versions of the story is because of the machinations of a schoolmate named Alana (Amandla Stenberg in the film), who accidentally unleashed a whole social media mob on the Murphys, with randos on the internet blaming the parents for Connor’s suicide.

On stage, this plot element is entirely dropped after Evan confesses to the Murphys, who presumably bear the brunt of the social media hate in quiet while protecting Evan’s secret. In the film though, Evan actually attempts to talk to Zoe in school the following week and she asks him to leave her alone. She also reveals the only reason her parents haven’t unmasked what Evan did is because “they’re afraid you’ll do something to yourself.” Like Connor.

Thus Evan gets on Twitter that night and tells the world, “[The Murphys] don’t deserve your hate. I do.” He confesses. Afterward, he again becomes a high school pariah, but we learn in montage he is more content this way as he tries to make further amends to the Murphys by not only reading Connor’s favorite books but tracking down someone’s phone video of Connor during his stint in rehab. Evan even finds footage of Connor playing his guitar, a feat he hid from his parents. The new song “A Little Closer,” which scores the final montage, is revealed to be a melody Connor wrote and sang in rehab, and Evan is able to at least mail that to Connor’s parents. He’s finally given them something true that they didn’t know about their son.

Only then, before the current school year ends, does Zoe invite Evan to an apple orchard and they reminisce about what might’ve been.

Does It Improve Evan Hansen and the Story?

The clear implication for adding these sequences, plus a song that the real Connor Murphy character can sing, is intended to fix the moral and thematic slipperiness at the heart of Dear Evan Hansen. Through a series of hummable ballads by songwriters Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, and some heartbreaking performances, including by Platt in the original cast, the stage production relies on the power of its emotions to overwhelm logic or deeper analysis. Some might even say it manipulates.

Yet over the years, the musical has had its fair share of detractors who pointed out how calculating and toxic the Evan Hansen character can appear. And the fact the musical just ends on the emotional high point without actually bothering to sift through the wreckage of what Evan did has always been a cheat.

Conversely, there are a few fleeting sequences in the stage version where the musical at least briefly seems to consider its darker implications. Evan’s loose group of (bad) friends in Alana and Jared contribute to this element in the song “Good for You,” where they sing in unison, “Well, I guess if I’m not of use, go ahead, you can cut me loose. Go ahead now, I won’t mind.”

The Alana relationship is particularly interesting in the show since it is only after she demands of Evan “how” will he raise $17,000 that he shows her Connor’s “suicide note.” He immediately protests after she decides to post it online, but did he not on some level show it to her in order for her to use it to raise $17,000 and reopen the apple orchard? After this scene, Alana ghosts him, suggesting she was herself only using Evan to brandish her social clout in the school and, eventually, her college applications.

The Dear Evan Hansen movie tries to wipe even this thorniness away. The context of Evan showing the note to Alana is handled slightly differently, but as a consequence there’s no ambiguity on why he showed it to her—he did not intend for her to share it online. She also, like Evan, is softened around the edges when she does answer Evan’s ringing phone on-screen and cries that she tried to take the letter down but it’s still all over social media.

The logic behind the change would seem to make both Evan and Alana more purely sympathetic and blameless for their mistakes. In Alana’s case, she isn’t a master manipulator, and in Evan’s case it is beyond his control when others take things too far. He then puts in the work to help the Murphys, beginning by admitting to the world his dishonesty.

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These were obviously conscious choices made after the five years and full lifetime which passed since 2016—a year where Barack Obama was still president and the #MeToo movement hadn’t yet occurred. Now in an age where social accountability, especially in online life, and alleged authenticity are valued more than ever, having a hero who lies to the world and gets away with it is inherently problematic. So the flaws in Evan’s choices, and even Alana’s, are “fixed” with crocodile tears of regret from Alana, and then Evan making an actual effort to atone for his mistakes.

Yet I would argue it doesn’t actually improve the fundamental issues with the musical. In the case of Alana, having a character show the ugly side of social manipulation, even among ostensibly sympathetic figures, was one of the truer impulses in a story that otherwise glorifies the healing power of finding validation from strangers on the internet. While both the film and show also depict the downside of online life with a discordant singing hydra coming after the Murphys, it’s only because of a couple of misguided mistakes. And in the case of the stage show, the larger message is Evan’s musical platitudes are simply too powerful (or profitable) for the Murphys to shatter.

In 2021, Evan and his creators make the choice that he can admit his mistakes. Yet the story still attempts to justify Evan’s actions, which ironically puts the film at odds with itself. It basks in the splendor of Evan’s self-help ballad, “You Will Be Found,” and then shows him suffering comeuppance for lying—even if Zoe still gives him final absolution.

The one significant change that clicks for me is Evan at least seeking out some hidden truth about Connor, and sharing it with the real people who actually loved him instead of strangers, who in turn would only again offer performative gestures and signaled virtue toward a kid they otherwise ignored. Hearing Colton Ryan’s Connor sing for himself—for the first time in any medium—and not merely be a puppet for Evan’s self-serving fantasies was a significant, moving improvement over how this thread is resolved on the stage.

Still, I think going further in that direction with Evan realizing the crassness of what he created, and the emptiness of his bromides, would’ve made this a more interesting narrative. But what do I know? My instincts wouldn’t have turned this into a Broadway anthem for Generation Z. So how about yourself? Do you like the new ending to Dear Evan Hansen?

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The post How Dear Evan Hansen Changes the Musical’s Ending appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[sochilll]

☕️ jared

What can I say that hasn’t been said already? I love him. He’s my boy, my son, my poor little meow meow. He was progressively more robbed in every iteration of deh. He had so much potential for development to show that he, just like Evan and Alana and Zoe and Connor, also felt alone and disconnected from others. Which would have been SO important and narratively fulfilling to the plot. To show that even the cool, self assured, sarcastic asshole (affectionate) related to the message of the Connor project and even NEEDED it. By the time it got rolling Jared clearly actually cared about it. He was surprised it was resonating with so many people and he was excited by that. He felt the same connection and importance everyone else did. He did it for Evan yeah but he needed that message as much as the rest of them. The musical gave us so many scraps, so many pieces to put together to see some of who Jared is and what he feels but never fully committed to giving him his moment. He lies to his parents constantly. He clearly isn’t just hanging around Evan for car insurance. He gets excited about the Connor project. Which all culminated into his persona cracking in GFY but we didn’t get to see the aftermath. Who Jared becomes as a result. What happens to his friendship with Evan, his only real relationship. The book, despite its faults (*cough* making Jared skinny and glasses-less at the end 😒 *cough*) also gave us a few good pieces. The fact that Evan and Jared have a moment where they acknowledge how important what they’re doing is despite how it started. Jared purposely making backdating sound so confusing so Evan still needs him. Flat out asking to help more with TCP. Evan blatantly stating in the narration that he knows Jared is full of shit. “there’s more bite in the words than the delivery” about the fuck you line are you KIDDING me? The assumption from Evan that Jared disappeared on him because he couldn’t handle facing what they did god damn!!! However overall the book was more interested in giving more character to Connor (which…. I disagree with the necessity of) and Evan than giving anything more to Jared other than a few more jokes. The movie… they massacred my boy. (Although gay rights thanks Nik). They set up SO much and for what!!! To just erase him from the second half? Why acknowledge his hurt feelings and his annoyance at Evan dating Zoe and his involvement in TCP and then just erase him and give him nO FUCKING RESOLUTION. NO APOLOGY SCENE A N D COMPLETELY CUT HIS GFY FIGHT ??? BULLSHIT CUT TO THEM BEING FRIENDS AGAIN AT GRADUATION???? KILLING AND BITING AND VIOLENCE!!!!!!!!!!! He has so much to offer as a character!!! He has deep self confidence issues that he hides pretty poorly behind jokes. He has one friend in the world who he’d do just about anything for. If he’s not in love with Evan (he is) he at least LOVES Evan in some way and so much. It’s glaringly obvious to the audience (plus the fact that literally every Jared actor has made a comment about Jared needing or loving or clinging to Evan) He had so much room for an arc, a story, some minuscule scrap of development and he never got it. I know he wasn’t the main character but god he deserved better than no fulfilling resolution in any adaptation and becoming the fandom throw away meme character. In closing, I love him your honor.

send me a ☕️ and a topic and i’ll talk about how i feel about it

[a-clockwork-justice]

Every Treebros Fanfic Ever

1. Starts one of two ways:

The first day of school, after Connor signs Evan’s cast and says “Now we can both pretend we have friends,” Evan says “What if we didn’t have to pretend” or something. Optionally, Connor could read Evan’s printed letter properly and say something like “Well, this is just the saddest fucking thing I’ve ever read” while also being internally shaken because how did this kid I’ve never spoken to perfectly say what I’ve wanted to say for years. Connor takes Evan up on his offer and Evan says “I’ll see you again tomorrow” and Connor, of course, decides to stick around for another day.

The other is at Evan’s first “fall” from the tree in Ellison State Park except that Connor really is there to find him because he was in the park to get high/get away from his family. Connor calls the ambulance for him/drives him to the hospital himself, they talk and become friends of sorts and text for the rest of the summer.

2. Much like the fake Sincerely, Me emails, Connor does end up trying to be “nicer” to his family i.e. not yelling at Cynthia; apologising for hurting Zoe, etc, much to Cynthia’s delight and the surprise of Larry and/or Zoe. He still fights with Larry though, mainly on the subject of him wanting to get proper help but Larry not taking him seriously. Larry may or may not be/stay an asshole.

3. Zoe eventually finds out from Connor and/or seeing him and Evan together at school that they’re friends and she’s like wtf how are you friends with my brother he’s mean and you’re not and Evan confirms it’s true and says Connor isn’t that bad and she should try being nicer to him. She and Connor decide to try and repair their relationship and she starts sitting at their lunch table (that’s yet another staple of these fics). She also signs Evan’s cast.

4. Meanwhile, Evan is telling Connor about his relationship with Jared and Connor says Kleinman’s an asshole, you don’t need him/need to stand up to him and Evan eventually starts pulling away from Jared, much to the latter’s surprise. 

5. Of course, he’s now jealous of Evan now buddying up with Connor and confronts him like Dude I thought I was your best friend/why are you with him he’s an asshole/a bad influence and Evan responds in kind with I thought we were only “family friends”/you only talked to me because of your car insurance/maybe you only talk to me because you don’t have any other friends.

6. Eventually Jared feels really guilty about being a dick to Evan for years and admits that the car insurance thing was a joke/he really doesn’t have any other friends at school and he and Evan make up, he signs the cast and sits at their lunch table. Depending on the fic, he may also be crushing on Evan but we know that’s gonna go nowhere.

7. Alana gets involved somewhere down the line, giving/offering advice as an acquaintance to the other characters and she eventually admits (probably to Connor and/or Zoe) that she feels alone and invisible too, and eventually they’re like Not acquaintances, friends, invite her into the group, she sits at the lunch table and has a 95% chance of getting together with Zoe by the end.

8. So everything’s unrealistically hunky-dory, they’re all having fun together, going around to each other’s houses and getting drunk, they might have some more drama along the way involving Connor’s parents or Heidi or Connor and/or Evan’s still present mental health issues (because love + friendship =/= cure for mental illness) but mostly Heidi is thrilled that her son has friends. Only thing now is that Evan and Connor have feelings for each other.

9. You know what’s gonna happen, they get together, it’s very sappy, and they all muddle along together until graduation where they all promise to go to the same college(s) except for Alana who goes to Harvard but they all promise to keep in touch.

A few minor discrepancies aside, I think that’s pretty much it. 

Am I wrong? 

[fast-food-fish]

Dear Evan Hansen and the Universal Feeling of Loneliness

Light spoilers for Dear Evan Hansen (but also if you’re on tumblr and haven’t at least heard about it I don’t know what to tell you) as well as a small warning that this contains a lot of discussion of loneliness :)

There is something about Dear Evan Hansen specifically that is able to capture the feeling of loneliness in a way I was never really able to put into words prior to watching it. Originally this was going to be a piece where I sort of broke down a few different songs from the show and figured out how they specifically touched on the theme of loneliness, but I had a sort of epiphany at work today. 

What is it that truly ostracizes us from everyone, what is it that truly makes us feel alone?

For Evan his loneliness physically manifests in his social anxiety, as well as his cast. These things immediately tell us that Evan is different from everyone else. But these are also just physical traits. What keeps Evan alone is simply just who he is. There isn’t really a reason Evan shouldn’t have friends besides the fact that everyone has just decided he is weird and they don’t want to talk to him. That he is too much.

And even though we don’t really know much about them, I think the same can be said for Connor, Alana, Jared and to an extent even Zoe. There is something about them, some facet of their personality, that isolates them. Alana is too smart, Connor is too angry, Jared is too brash, Zoe is too perfect. And there’s nothing they can do about it, because at their core that is who they are. They are too much.

For me I have always felt at least a little bit alone. And I’ve tried to break it down, tried to think when did I stop acting like I did when I was younger, when did I realize that that was bad? And I don’t know, but I do know that even when I was in elementary school I understood that I wasn’t my best friend’s best friend. That there was just something about me that put me in second place by default. I think there are a few things that contribute to that. Recently I took a uquiz that told me that what’s wrong with me is that I want it too badly, and that’s very true. I try very hard to be friends with people, when I was in high school, my coworkers, etc. and it never works. I actually became closer with one of my coworkers when I started acting like I didn’t care if we were friends, but that isn’t who I am, and if we got any closer than we currently are, that would probably be quite apparent. 

Another thing that comes to mind is in Euphoria when Jules says that it’s embarrassing how easily she falls in love but that it’s because half of the relationship is in her head; and obviously this relates more to romantic relationships, and I do relate to it in that sense, but I think it can also be true for friendships. Imagining hanging out with someone, talking to someone, knowing you would definitely be good friends if you could just get to that point. Hearing your coworkers talking about going for drinks after work, they do it right in front of you and they don’t invite you; but what if they did? And I don’t know how to stop doing it, I know that the other person doesn’t feel the same way, that they aren’t committed to the relationship in the same way I am and yet I can’t reconcile the current relationship with the imagined future one, and I can’t stop wanting it too badly. I can’t stop being too much, I don’t know how. 

I don’t know what you’re supposed to do when the thing that isolates you is who you are as a person. What Dear Evan Hansen wants you to believe is that if you are yourself eventually you will find the people who will appreciate you for that; and I want to believe that, but I’ve yet to see that actually come true. Currently I have one really close friend, and I feel lucky for that because I grew up with pretty much none. But at the same time I have to believe that there are more people who will appreciate me for who I am. I have to believe that eventually (and I’m sorry in advance for this but I had to do it) I will be found, and if you feel the same way I do I hope you can believe that too.

Thank you so much for reading

[zombieratt]

Alright so forewarning this is LONG as FUCK specifically because i came up with this idea in early high school and was just today POSESSEd By the Spirit Of Musical Theatre to put it to paper— er Tumblr.

So without further ado:

DEAR EVAN HANSEN BUT EVAN ISNT A TERRIBLE PERSON AND CONNOR LIVES.

the beginning is the same, canon diverges just after waving through a window.

*this ended up getting written is script format? i also just sorta ignore alana’s whole exsistance bc in this version of the play she’s unnecessary*

In the moments before he talks to Connor evan decides to omit Zoe from his letter, having resolved himself to move on from her. (instead of being a hella creep.)

Connor: “dear Evan Hansen,” what are you writing letters to yourself? *he laughs*

Evan: its, uh, its for my therapist. its just a stupid little assignment that she says is supposed to help me process my feelings or— uh or something

Connor: hm. here. * hands Evan the letter*

Connor: your cast. no one’s signed it.

Evan: uh no. no one has.

Connor: gotta sharpie?

Evan: huh?

Connor: gotta sharpie? im gonna sign it.

Evan: *handing the sharpie to Connor* w- whuh uh why?

Connor: *shrugs* feels right.

Evan: i wish i could do that

Connor: what?

Evan: UH, IMEAN—

Connor: no wait- dude.

Evan: i mean uh, i meant that i wish i could just be, y’know impulsive like that.

Connor: Why Cant you be?

Evan: i uh, my heads pretty messed up, and stuff like that just, makes it worse i guess.

Connor: well theres some thing we have in common— were both fucked up in the head.

*the bell rings*

Evan: oh shoot! i missed the bus—

Connor: i’ll give you a ride.

Evan: are you sure i mean i can walk its not far-

Connor: all the more reason, i probably have to pass it on my way home anyway, cmon.

——

they meet Zoe in the parking lot

Zoe: I have Late practice today

Connor: whatever, gotta passenger.

Zoe: who the fuck would be crazy enough to trust your ability to drive?

Evan *being Brave*: Me Apparently?

Zoe: Uh, Evan Right?

Evan: yeah, uh, yeah.

Zoe *holding her hand out to be shaken*: i’m Zoe, we’ve met though right?

Evan wipes his hand on his shirt and shakes it: yeah, uh, nice to formally meet you, Zoe.

Zoe: i’m off, don’t kill him stoner.

Connor: i wont Princess

Evan breathing heavy: that was,, an eventful ten minutes.

Connor: oh fuck— you cool? or—

Evan: Panic Attack.

Connor: Right, uh

Connor: can you get in the car?

Evan: yeah

*car nonsense*

Connor: Can i start driving or do you want me to wait

Evan: Distractions are good,, Can Uh, Can you Talk about Stuff?

Connor: What stuff!??

Evan: any Stuff!

Connor: Is Zoe okay??

Evan: Sure?!

Connor: Uhh we don’t get along as well as we used to?

we were really close as kids, shes a huge asshole now but *fully venting now*

i kind of miss it you know? having someone to talk to and care about— and i still care about her— but its scary and i always fuck it up! not to mention the fact that our parents hate me— make her see me as some alien and not just a fucked up kid who wants to talk and — (more ranting that i dont feel like writing, but its a whole monologue bro)

Evan: Connor

Connor snaps his mouf shut: yeah

Evan: thanks

Connor: oh that, uh actually helped?

Evan: yeah focusing on your voice and whats real and stuff— it makes a difference.

Neither of them noticed that Connor was just sort of Driving. they end up at the park where in canon Connor commits Sewer-slide.

Evan: i didn’t know there was a park here.

Connor: huh, oh, yeah i guess i just sorta auto piloted, i come here to think.

Evan: About stuff?

Connor: Yeah, Stuff.

*the convo lulls*

Connor: do you have a laptop?

Evan: no, i uh, i left it at home? why?

Connor: give me a second

Connor walks to the car and grabs his back pack out of the back seat

Evan watches Quizzically from the swing-set

Connor pulls out a Sketch Pad and Pen, flipping to a clean page.

Connor: So tell me how to write one of those letters of yours.

Evan: uh, well you start like any other letter- just addressing it to yourself

Connor writing: Dear Connor Murphy,

Evan: and uh, my first one was supposed to be about my ideal summer vacation? since i started in middle school- but you don’t have to—

Connor: thats perfect.

Connor starts to sing for forever,

eventually Evan joins in there is a minor gay moment where they’re holding hands face to face.

the song ends with Connor hugging Evan.

Evan: its- its pretty late.

Connor obviously crying: just— just a couple more minutes.

Evan lets go and grabs Connors sketch book of the ground, closing it and handing it off to him: then how about this, labor day weekend- we actually go.

Connor: what are you talking about?

Evan: being spontaneous?

Connor: o-okay.

and it cuts to black.

theres a small montage here, as the set changes to Connor and Evans bedrooms

sincerely, me is a lament in this context, Connor and Evan are duetting from their respective rooms, writing to themselves.

(the lyrics are completely different and i will not be writing them here because thats too much fucking effort.

but they’re duetting from their bedrooms about making a connection to another person, feeling seen, for the first time. what it felt like and how they really want to keep it up but are afraid of making a mistake and ruining it.

its got some themes of waving thru a window, and a little bit of for forever, but its still largely the same notes just in a different key.)

after wards, Zoe knocks on Connors door to tell him dinner is ready to find him peacefully asleep.

requiem is the same, Zoe sees Connor as Dead to Her instead of actually dead, so some of the wording changes, so and so about how a monster doesn’t deserve peaceful rest etcetera.

school day happens, Connor doesn’t die, but the hot goss is that everyone saw Connor and Evan go home together after school, jared makes a shitty homophobic joke to Evan and Evan kind of tells him off about it. they argue and it culminates in Evan saying “well god forbid I’m friends with someone who isn’t YOU!” or smth like tht and it hits jared right the fuck at home man.

Connor says from the side lines: damn that was pretty hard core dude.

Evan: you have, no idea how long i’ve wanted to do that.

Connor honest to god l a u g h s, theres a number of people who hear it and lose their shit, Zoe being one of them: i have a pretty good idea, wanna get some lunch?

Evan: yeah, sure.

this general routine continues until labor day weekend, when they plan to go on their little escape. theres a short scene of Connor leaving the house with his keys and a backpack.

Connors mom confronts Zoe about his oddly upbeat attitude and hows he’s seemed differently lately Zoe Shrugs but decides to investigate his room.

she finds the letters. the first one is for forever, the theme plays as she reads it frantically, and is signed “Sincerely me (connor murphy)” so she knows its him, i f i could tell her begins but its a real duet between Connor and Zoe and at the end she resolves to try harder to connect to him.

Evan sings disappear to Connor after breaking into a formerly public park, in this context its him confessing that he broke his arm attempting su!c!de. Connor records it, for personal reference.

jared hacks Connors phone and steals the video, posting it to yt, in an effort to ruin their friendship.

Evan and Connor get in a little fight about it, and in the meantime Evan is called to the school to give an assembly because hes a phenomenal speaker and Disappear got like 1000000 views over night.

Zoe and Connor bond a little bit in a short scene before the assembly

Zoe: wheres Evan what happened?

Connor: Kleinman Did!

Zoe: what?

Connor: Why Do you care?

Zoe: because! you look happy around him!

Connor: i, i do?

Zoe: yeah? he could tell the worst joke ever written and you’d crack up. i haven’t heard you laugh like that in years Connor, maybe ever.

Connor: oh.

Zoe: Come back inside?

Connor: y, Yeah.

they all perform You Will Be Found together.

end act 1.

(no more dialogue from here i got tired)

to break in a glove is Connor’s dad trying to reconnect with him, it goes mediocrely, but Connor feels like hes being seen by his dad for the first time in years. its said in metaphors, but this is Connors dads way of saying that if Connor is willing to put in the work, so is he. they hug at the end, things are looking up. some talk of therapy is sprinkiled in the dialogue as they walk of stage together.

Only Us is Evan and Connor saying that they saved each other. its loosely romantic, as its a love song, but they don’t out right say that they’re in love or anything, they don’t know if theyre ready for that. its a promise. the song ends with Connor finally apologizing for pushing Evan over at the beginning of the show.

good for you is sung by jared only, as a power ballad, about losing people you didn’t treasure. its his attempt at an apology, but it ultimately fails, since jared is unable to take responsibility for his own actions. this is where jared and Evan go their separate ways.

Evan’s mom comforts him, as he sings words fail, which is about specifically jared, and how their rocky friendship is ruined and Evan pegs himself as the cause, instead of parents or perfect girl he uses metaphors that apply to best friends— maybe more. and talks about how he didn’t try, he was happy so he ignored that jared was hurting, and how that was really shitty of him. but instead of it being a generally somber song the end is lighter, because Connor is there— waving through his front window.

Evans mom sings So Big/So Small as Evan steps out the front door to embrace Connor and they mime talking about jared, hug and take hands. the house moves off stage in preparation for the finale.

Connor and Evan open the finale saying each others names, and sing it together as the test of the cast (minus jared) joins in, Evans mom taking his hand and Zoe Taking Connors, Evans mom the Murphys and Zoe break off to the back where Evan and Connor finish the final “all i see is sky for forever” while looking into each others eyes, and finish the musical by embracing (maybe kissing if thats ur jam).

[secretly-tword-obsessed]

One Spot

Promoted by an anon!

Summary: Jared is going through a tough time, but Evan and Connor think they can help!

Set in an AU where Connor never died and he, Evan and Jared became best friends!

“Oh, uh, hi Zoe”, Evan muttered, as Zoe stepped out of her bedroom and into the hallway. Zoe just smiled at him: “Hey Evan”. Being best friends with Connor meant spending quite a lot of time at the Murphy’s house, which was great in theory, but seeing Connor’s younger sister Zoe so often was rather overwhelming. Evan had a huge crush on Zoe, but he put so much effort into making sure that she wouldn’t find out that it was kind of draining.

Jared, the third member of their little friendship group, would often tease Evan about it. Of course, it was only light and friendly teasing, but sometimes it was just too much for Evan. 

But Jared was late that Thursday afternoon, so he hadn't witnessed that little interaction and therefore couldn’t tease Evan about it later.

Jared being late wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. The dude often arrived a few minutes late to the boy’s little hang-sessions, wether they be at the park or at one of the boy’s houses. 

Evan knocked on the door to Connor’s room, making the long-haired teen chuckle: “You know you don’t have to knock every time you wish to enter my room, right?”. 

Evan slowly opened the door, finding Connor at his desk, drawing in his sketchpad. He paced over to where Connor was sitting and looked over his shoulder to see a beautiful pencil-drawing of a countryside landscape laid out before him. 

“Thats nice”, Evan stated. “I know”, Connor replied. He than ripped a piece of paper out of the book and handed it to Evan: “Here, you can draw something while we wait for the Kleinman to get here”. 

Evan took it and grabbed one of Connor’s heavy books to rest it on, and leaned his back against Connor’s bed and got to work.

Evan often lost track of time when he was drawing, but Connor certainly didn’t, and he started to get a bit confused when Jared still hadn’t arrived after ten minutes. 

He whipped his phone out of his jean pocket: “Jared?”. Evan jumped at the break of silence, having been completely lost in his drawing of a pine tree forest. He wasn’t a very good drawer, but he really loved drawing, so it didn’t really matter. 

“Jared, whats up, your like fifteen minutes late bro!”

Jared said something Evan couldn’t make out from the other end of the phone. 

“Wow, that’s really weird bro”, Connor said, “I guess I’ll see you in five”.

“What happened?”, Evan asked as Jared put his phone down and stood up to look at him. “Jared completely forgot that we had planned this!”, Connor exclaimed. 

That was very strange, Evan thought, Jared was always late but he was never forgetful. Something big must have happened that distracted him.

Evan and Connor seemed to be on the same page, as Connor said: “I think something must have gone wrong, we can ask him when he gets here”.

Five minutes later, Jared arrived, “WASSUP PRICK-HEADS!”. Typical Jared. 

“What we’re interested in’, Connor said, “Is whats up with you”.

“Ah”, Jared said, “I just forgot because a pretty shitty thing happened with bullies today, I got distracted”. 

Evan patted the side of Connor’s bed, gesturing for Jared to come sit there, “Oh, buddy, what happened?”.

Jared sighed, sat next to Evan, and looked down, “Ugh, those dicks. They just said some nasty stuff about - about-”.

Jared started shaking. This must have been pretty serious. Connor sat on the other side of him, and Evan wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

Jared took a deep breath in, “They said some nasty stuff about my parents’ divorce. And about how it was probably my fault and shit. And I just-”. Jared took another breath in, his eyes getting a little wet. 

Jared was the toughest guy that the other two knew. He could literally be beaten up by a whole gang and come out laughing about it smugly! But his family was something very close to his heart, and we was still struggling to get over the big split-up.

“I just, I wanted it to stop, and they kept saying things and I...”, Jared rested his head on Connor’s shoulder, “They really hurt me guys. I know it sounds pathetic but-”.

“Nononono, it doesn’t sound pathetic at all”, Connor informed the glasses-wearer, “We all have things that we hold close to our hearts”. Connor smirked and added, “Like Evan with Zoe”.

Evan blushed, “Shut up! At least I’m not the one with a crush on a Schuyler sister!”. “Hey”, Connor defended, “It’s not my fault that Lin hired such a hot actor to play Angelica!”. 

“Actress”, Jared corrected the man who his head was rested upon, “A female actor is an actress”. “Oh Jared, your so old fashioned”, Connor said teasingly. 

Jared sat up straight, “Thanks guys, for cheering me up I mean. You really make a difference”. 

Connor cracked a grin: “Oh my dog! Jared saying something nice! I thought I’d never see the day!”.

“Oh my dog! Connor making an educated insight, I thought I’d never see the- HEY!”. Connor had reached his hand under Jared’s arm and poked him there. “Wow, I thought I’d never see the ‘hey’ either”, Connor teased.

“Connor! What gives?!”, Jared complained, “You know I’m sensitive there!”. 

“Oh yes”, Evan smirked, “We are both aware that you are a little ticklish”.

“Only under my arms!”, Jared argued, “And says you Evan, your a breathing walking tickle spot!”. Evan blushed at that.

Suddenly, Jared’s eyes widened, and he started shaking again, “Spot...spot”.

Connor and Evan shared a concerned look, before looking down at Jared between them. 

“Spot...oh, I almost forgot...they called my father’s house...the perfect spot for-”

“Hey, hey”, Connor interrupted, rubbing Jared’s back, “It’s okay, you don’t have to repeat them”. Connor slipped his right hand under Jared’s am, causing him to shriek and smack it off.

“Connor! This isn’t the time!”. 

Evan smiled and scooted closer to Jared, “Why Jared, this is the perfect time. You have been hurt, so it is only our duty as your best friends to put a smile back on your fa-”.

“Hey!”, Zoe interrupted, swinging open the door, “I heard a scream, what’s going in in here?”.  Evan turned dark red, “Oh, hey Zoe”.

Connor grinned at his sister, “Oh, I just tickled my little buddy over here”.

“Asshole!”, Jared grunted. 

Zoe grinned, “Oh, I get it, we have a freakishly ticklish guy in here”.

“I am not freakishly ticklish, I only have one spot!”, Jared remarked, “Evan, he’s the one who’s freakishly tickl-AH!”.

Evan had poked under Jared’s other arm, and tackled him over. Connor smirked and pinned Jared’s arms above his head.

“Ev, don’t you fucking da-AHAHAHAH NOHOHO!”. 

Evan clawed his fingers up and down Jared’s helpless underarms, “ZOHOHOHHOEEE HEHELP!”.

Zoe smirked: “As you wish”.

“NOHOHOH WAHAIT, DOHHOHON’T HEHELP THEHEHEHEHEM!”.

Zoe just giggled as she sat beside Evan and helped with the tickling. Evan tuned a deep red with Zoe sitting next to him, her giggling as they occasionally brushed fingers together, tickling Jared out of his mind.

That giggle of Zoe’s; Evan wasn’t sure if he could take this much longer. He stood up, causing the other three to look up at him.

“Aw, are you chickening out Ev?”, Connor teased, “Are you too afraid that Jared will get you back?”.

“Well, ah...”, Evan stuttered. Zoe smiled, “You know that if you chicken out now, you’ll be my next victim”. Evan turned a darker shade of red. Zoe just chuckled and went back to tickling a helpless Jared.

“NANHAHAHAHA ZOHOHOHOHE WAHAHAHAIT! NAOHOHOHHO, EHEHEHEVAN GOHOHOHOHO AWAHAHAHAY!”.

Evan had sat on Connor’s side of Jared instead, and went back to his attack.

Evan’s fingers clawed and prodded precisely, and Zoe’s scribbled and teased lightly. The combination of the two was almost unbearable for poor Jared.

Almost.

He was actually kind of enjoying himself. After a rough afternoon, laughing his head off was almost freeing. Like locking away the door to his misery and throwing away the key. 

But that didn’t stop him from struggling.

“IHIHIHI WIHIHIHIHILL KIHIHIHIHILL YOHOHOHOHU AHAHAHAHALL AHAHAHAHAFTER THIHIHIHIS!” Jared cried, desperately jerking his torso up and down against the bed. 

The other three just smiled, happy with the madness that they were inflicting on their friend. But still, it had to end at some point, the guy needed to breathe. 

Connor unpinned Jared’s arms, and as soon as he did, Jared pounced on Evan.

“Oh, your in for it!”.

And the room erupted in laughter once more. 

Ok, so that was really short, but I’ve got a nice long once coming up! So, to quote my favourite musical, Be Prepared!